Happy Day After Mother's Day!

May 10, 2016 lisa fox

Happy (Belated) Mothers Day!

In honor of Mothers Day having been this past weekend, I decided to share one of my favorite family pictures depicting my maternal lineage. That fuzzy potato on my grandma Pauline's lap is me and on either side are my great grandma Pearl and my Mama. I thank them for their lessons, patience, grace under challenging circumstances and funky style.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been visiting Mom and Dad on Long Island. So, between the impossible array of events and get togethers that come up when one goes back home for any amount of time, I've managed to squeeze in a mini visit here and there of some of my old stomping grounds and discover new spots, as well. Of course, several of these outings involved catching some great art exhibitions.

Here are some shots from my recent adventures. They include photos of downtown Huntington, the local tulip festival, an opening reception for Stanko's Happy Trails at the Ripe Gallery, an exhibition of Long Island's most talented high school artists at the Heckscher Museum, and both the Kenny Scharf exhibition and the Glamorous Graffiti exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art.

*Huntington Tulip Festival, Heckscher Park*

Opening Reception, Stanko's *Happy Trails*, Ripe Art Gallery

*Long Island's Best Young Artists* at Heckscher Museum

Meagan McClinchey, *Inner Demons,* Digital Photograph

Shaina Tabak, *Rock Paper Scissors,* Acrylic on canvas

Blair Rohan, *Family Dinner,* Digital photograph

*Long Island's Best Alumni Exhibition,* Heckscher Museum

work by Kenny Scharf, Nassau County Museum of Art

works by Kenny Scharf, Nassau County Museum of Art

Kenny Scharf, *Pop Renaissance*, Nassau County Museum of Art

Kenny Scharf, close up of *Pop Renaissance*, Nassau County Museum of Art

Jean-Michel Basquiat, *Third Street,* 1984

Keith Haring, *Red and Black Painting,* 1983

Odds & Ends

April 17, 2016 lisa fox

Hello, Everybody!

I hope you're all enjoying the bone-chilling Springtime weather and seasonal affective disorder we're getting. For those of you that would like a little something to get you through these last few freezy, melty, muddy days, I've put together a list of events and entertaining tidbits to distract and inspire you until it's appropriate to wear short sleeves.

To start, here are some items for those willing to brave the elements:

There are some fantastic exhibitions and things to do around town in the next few weeks:

Raymond Boisjoly: Over a distance between one and many isat the Koffler Gallery.

Raymond Boisjoly, image for the *inconstancies,* 2015.

The current exhibition at Gallery 44 is The Kitchen by Sarah Anne Johnson.

In the Beauty I Hide is a group exhibition at Hermann & Audrey.

Celebrate the opening of the 2016 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival at the launch party on the 27th at the AGO

Keep up to date on the budding Sakura Cherry Blossoms at High Park.

Learn about the Business of Art at Lakeshore Arts in one of their professional development workshops over the next few weeks.

Create works of art across Toronto and contribute to the vitality and attractiveness of the city's streetscape by participating in the Outside The Box Program.

And, here are some items for those of you that appease your weather related disappointments through shopping:

Yippee! A simplified way to transfer photos from my iphone to my computer.

And, here is a photo management system for you and your family.

We all know Boba Fett is the coolest Star Wars character. Why not use him to charge your phone?

Or chose the greener method of juicing up your phone with solar power.

Show Mother Nature that you can still garden even if she's not thawing out the ground for you yet.

For those of you that would rather be entertained in the comfort of your own home, here are some items to read, watch or make without a coat.

You could start a knitting project. I'm working on this Doctor Who inspired piece.

Make or buy a pinhole camera so you'll be ready for Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day!

Or discover some talented female photographers that didn't fit in my Women's History Month posts.

Marianna Rothen is a Canadian photographer that incorporates digital photography with Polaroid printing.

Amanda Charchian is a Los Angeles based photographer who depicts the nude female form as something empowered, confident and seductive.

Holly Andres is and American photographer who explores the themes of memory, childhood and female introspection through her work

And, for those who want to stay in and be less brainy:

If you haven't yet seen the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer, here you go. It's nice to have a movie to look forward to.

Or just wait until the 24th for the return of Game of Thrones.

Next week, the foxcraft blog will be coming to you from New York. Subscribe below to make sure you don't miss out on any adventures.

And, if you're in Toronto, my work is on display at Veloute Bistro, 2343 Queen Street East
Toronto, 416 696 7392. Make sure to check it out and enjoy a fantastic meal or a glass of wine.

Contemporary Women Photographers to Check Out, Part 2

March 30, 2016 lisa fox

Hello again, Everybody!

Here's the second part of my list of inspiring female photographers. I realize that this list is only a tiny example of the talented women working today in the field of photography. Please feel free to post any female photographers that you think have been overlooked in the comments section. I will try to included them in a future post.

Enjoy.

Judy Dater (American) is known for her portraits and nudes that challenge our preconceived notions of a woman's body. Her work has strong ties to the emergence and evolution of the feminist movement.

Shadi Ghadirian (Iranian) uses humor and stereotypes to depict the Iranian woman of today and her struggle between tradition and modernity.

Agnieszka Sosnowska (Polish) takes narrative self-portraits in the Icelandic countryside that simultaneously expose strength and vulnerability.

Dita Pepe (Czech) creates self-portraits, reminiscent of casual snapshots, which explore how the relationship to one's surroundings reflects on identity.

Lucy Hilmer (American) is known primarily for her long term series, especially Birthday Suits. Through these projects she takes on the theme of time and both the things that change and those that stay the same.

Elena Chernyshova (Russian) is a documentary photographer interested in investigating different cultures, lifestyles and the human ability to adapt to extremes.

Katerina Belkina (Russian) creates dreamlike self-portraits and uses digital manipulation to impart a surreal quality while she addresses the themes of beauty and drama.

Maia Flore (French) touches upon the themes of childhood, and memory. Her narrative fabrications hover along the boundaries between reality and imagination.

Daro Sulakauri (Georgian) is a photojournalist giving a voice to human rights issues like underage marriage.

Marja Pirila (Finnish) uses light as her theme and it's influence. By using pinhole cameras and camera obscura she places the process of photography at the forefront of her imagery.

Juul Kraijer (Dutch) makes haunting, otherworldly images of female models devoid of individuality. They share components of both Renaissance paintings and Surrealism.

Hellen van Meene (Dutch) photographs teenage girls with resulting images that are both graceful and awkward. Her work touches upon our ideas of adolescence and normality.

Eugenia Maximova (Bulgarian-Austrian) sees photography as a form of visual anthropology. Her work is strongly influenced by her journalistic background.

Nina Roeder (German) recreates memories and constructs scenes to delve into time, memory and the interaction between figure and space.

Contemporary Women Photographers to Check Out Part 1

March 29, 2016 lisa fox

Hello, Everybody!

Today, we will continue our celebration of Women's History Month by exploring a selection of contemporary female photographers. I have only written a few sentences and displayed a tiny sampling of these artists' amazing bodies of work in order to include more women on the list.

Please explore the links provided to find out more about these inspiring women and view other examples of their work. Also, don't forget to subscribe to this blog at the bottom of the page so you can be sure not to miss Contemporary Women Photographers Part 2.

Cindy Sherman's (American) work directs the camera back at herself as the subject, however the results aren't quite self-portraits. Her photographs address the various roles of the modern woman today and objectification in society and media.

Graciela Iturbide (Mexican) has focused her work on Mexico's indigenous people since the 1970s, often focusing on the strengths of the women in these societies.

Nan Goldin (American) creates images reminiscent of snapshots. They are personal and often sexual in nature. Her subjects have been her friends, lovers and regulars of the NYC club scene.

Sally Mann (American) is a renowned photographer who shoots intimate images of the American South and her family.

Carrie Mae Weems (American) uses storytelling in her work to address the topics of racism, sexism and class. She keeps activism as a main focus in her approach to making art.

Shirin Neshat (Iranian) explores gender, identity and politics in Muslim countries through her work.

Lorna Simpson (African-American) is a conceptual photography pioneer. Her spare imagery and frequent usage of text create works that are open-ended stories about gender and culture.

Rosalind Fox Solomon (American) is a celebrated photographer known for her portraits addressing struggle, human suffering and gender pitfalls.

Rineke Dijkstra (Dutch) has a very distinctive style of portraiture that recalls Dutch paintings of the 17th century. Her subjects are mostly adolescents and the interaction between them and the photographer.

Linda Connor (American) uses her work to explore the sacred and spiritual of this world. Her images have a luminous and meditative quality to them.

Maggie Steber (American) is a photojournalist whose work has taken her to over 60 countries. Her images depict humanitarian, social and cultural stories.

Stephanie Sinclair (American) is a photojournalist who focuses on gender and human-rights issues such as child marriage and self-immolation.

I'd like to dedicate this post to Arlene T Bakel, a woman who will be sorely missed. She was such a kind and accepting figure during the formative years of my life. She made me feel like family. Her enormous heart meant more to me than she could ever know. I would guess that the same could be said by anyone else who knew her.

Foremothers of Photography

March 17, 2016 lisa fox

Happy Womens History Month to all!

Today, I would like to share a small sampling of formidable women photographers. Some of these women may already be familiar to you. But, since I have seen so many articles this month about how the average person can't name 5 female artists or that women are completely underrepresented in the art world in comparison to their participation, I want to create a space with this blog to help balance things out. I have only scratched the surface while building this list. So, I highly recommend that you click on the links provided to explore the impressive portfolios of these artists further.

Dorothea Lange (May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist whose most famous work was done during the Depression for the Farm Security Administration. Her images shed light on the poverty and suffering that beset the migratory farm workers of that time.

Margaret Bourke-White (June 14, 1904 – August 27, 1971) was a trailblazing American documentary photographer. She worked as associate editor and staff photographer of Fortune magazine. She was the first Western photographer allowed to take photographs of Soviet industry and was the first female war correspondent during World War II.

Berenice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991) was an American photographer best known for her b&w photography of New York City architecture in the 1930s. She was a proud feminist before that was even a thing, once saying, "The world doesn't like independent women, why, I don't know, but I don't care."

Gertrude Käsebier (1852–1934) was an influential American photographer. Her work focused on depictions of motherhood and powerful portraits of Native Americans. She was also a strong advocate of photography as a career for women despite the conflicting general opinion of the time.

Helen Levitt (August 31, 1913 – March 29, 2009) was an American photographer who shot street photography in New York City, and earned the moniker, "the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time." Her career as a photographer spanned nearly 70 years.

Anne Wardrope (Nott) Brigman (1869–1950) was an American photographer and an original members of the Photo-Secession movement. Her most famous images depicted strong nude women in nature. Her suggestions of bohemianism and female liberation were an exhilarating contrast to what was otherwise typical.

Claude Cahun (25 October 1894 – 8 December 1954) was a French photographer. Her work touched upon both political and personal motifs, and challenged the narrow definitions of gender of her time. Her self-portraits were heavily influenced by Surrealism.

Germaine Luise Krull (29 November 1897 – 31 July 1985) was a photographer and political activist. Man Ray once told her, "Germaine, you and I are the greatest photographers of our time, I in the old sense you in the modern one." She was a vocal part of a group of early 20th-century female photographers who aimed to take control of their own livelihoods and careers in photography when these ideas were unheard of for women.

Francesca Stern Woodman (April 3, 1958 – January 19, 1981) was an American photographer best known for her black and white self portraits. Her work continues to be the subject of much critical acclaim and attention, years after she took her own life at 22, in 1981. Her photographs explore issues of gender and self.

Leila Alaoui (10 July 1982 – 18 January 2016) was a French-Moroccan photographer. She often worked for magazines and NGOs covering the plight of refugees around the world. She died from injuries suffered in a terrorist attack in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso while on assignment. Alaoui believed that photography and art could be used for social activism and "reflecting and questioning society".

Stay tuned for the next installments of Celebrating Women in Photography in which we will highlight contemporaries in the field. And, don't forget to subscribe below to insure that you don't miss out on any post from the foxcraft blog.